Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of our favorite authors. She wrote the "Little House" books that our kids enjoyed growing up. Becky and I got a chance to visit the Ingalls homestead in De Smet, South Dakota on our trip across America in 2021 and also wanted to visit the Wilder Farm in Malone, New York. The Wilder Farm was where Almanzo Wilder lived for several years as a child and is the place Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her "Farmer Boy" book. Our granddaughter, Nicole, has a keen interest in the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder and loves travel as much as we do. The interest in going to new places and seeing new things developed into a joint trip to New England with Nicole. One of the primary places we wanted to visit was the Wilder Farm near Malone, New York. Nicole contacted the farm and set us up to volunteer for a day while we were visiting. In addition to touring the farm Nicole borrowed some 1800's period clothing to wear to really look the part as she toured. The Wilder Farm Director, Donna Johnson, was a cheerful person who was delighted by our interest and Nicole's costume. We enjoyed a fascinating day learning about farm life in the 1800's and hearing many background stories as Donna and Nicole gave us a personal tour. The pictures below show some of the farm and Nicole giving a tour.
One of the events mentioned in "The Farmer Boy" book was that Almanzo entered some of his livestock into the Franklin County Fair many years ago. We got to go to the same fair grounds and enjoyed observing horse, cow and other animal showings by the local 4H Clubs. Nicole said she could not go to the fair without eating an elephant ear (fried dough with cinnamon and sugar on it) and riding one ride so she got to enjoy both while we were there!
On our way up to Malone we stopped at the Gettysburg National Park in Pennsylvania and Alexandria Bay in New York. Visiting the Gettysburg civil war battlefield always brings some sadness as it is the site where over 5100 men were killed, wounded or M.I.A. over the two days the battle lasted. It was also the site of President Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address.
On a more positive note we enjoyed a boat tour of the 1000 islands on the St. Lawrence River that left from beautiful Alexandria Bay. Seeing the mansions on Millionaires Row and Boltz Castle from the water was a fun experience! The 1000 islands area (actually over 1800 of them) is truly a beautiful area with clear water and stunning views. Becky and I said if we ever had several million dollars to spare we could buy a summer place on the St. Lawrence river near Alexandria Bay! It would only be a summer place as the river freezes with about 30" of ice and the temperature is extremely frigid during the winter months.
We have enjoyed our New England trip and plan to visit Montreal, Canada tomorrow! Here is a pic of Becky and Nicole rolling around on a luggage cart at our hotel. A you can see it really is a fun trip.
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